US to continue defending human rights in Turkey – State Department spokesman on Ankara’s intention to expel Western diplomats
POLITICS
26.10.2021 | 15:29US Department of State Spokesman Ned Price spoke at a briefing yesterday on the recent tensions in relations with Ankara over Turkish President Erdog։an’s intention to recognize the ambassadors of the United States and other countries as “persona non grata,” according to the official website of the US State Department.
Price said in particular that “Ambassador Satterfield is in Turkey. He is serving as the United States ambassador to Turkey. We’ve taken note of President Erdogan’s most recent remarks. We will continue to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights globally. The Biden administration seeks cooperation with Turkey on common priorities. And as with any NATO Ally, we will continue to engage in dialogue to address any disagreements. We believe the best way forward is through cooperation on issues of mutual interest, and we know that we have many issues of mutual interest with Turkey.”
He added, “What we issued was a statement to underscore that the statement that we put out on October 18th was consistent with Article 41 of Vienna Convention. We are steadfast in our commitment to promoting the rule of law, to promoting respect for human rights globally. This commitment is unwavering and we will continue to engage with Turkey as consistent with Article 41.”
Turkish President Erdogan said yesterday that the crisis over declaring the ambassadors of 10 Western countries “persona non grata” was resolved after the embassies issued a new statement. The embassies of the United States, Canada and other Western countries in Turkey have announced in a new statement that they intend to respect the laws and regulations of the host country and not to interfere in the internal affairs of that country.
Earlier, Erdogan had instructed the Foreign Ministry to expel ambassadors from US and other Western countries after they issued a joint statement calling for the release of activist Osman Kavala.
The countries in the list were the USA, Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Norway, New Zealand.